Thursday, 31 July 2014

Today's post is a little bit different than a normal product review or demo. Today I'm starting a mini makeup series.

If you're anything like me and you can never find the right shade of lipstick, foundation, concealer, eye shadow or even the right finish i.e., matte, dewy glow, satin or EVEN if whatever makeup you use just doesn't stay on for as long as you want it to then this series is for you!

Each week I'll be posting different products that you can mix together to create a perfect finish and I promise it works as it's something I do everyday with my makeup... I never just use one product on my face, lips and eyes!

Today I'll start it off with foundation as this is the base for all of your makeup, so it makes sense to start here!

First of all, I never use just one foundation! I am never able to find a foundation that has everything I want so I have to somehow come up with the perfect concoction myself!

My favourite look is dewy/satin finish so I'll always buy a liquid foundation that has some sort of illuminising or radiant description on the bottle! However, I always find that this type of foundation doesn't have great staying power so I like to apply one foundation, let that set and then apply the second foundation. I'll be posting a tutorial soon of how I keep my makeup in place all day long by doing a little trick... but more on that in a future post (coming soon!) so keep a look out for that!

This first product is one of my favourite brands, Bourjois and is the Healthy Mix foundation. I've talked about this product in previous blog posts because I love it so much! It has the right amount of dewy-ness and the colours they make it in are great, however I usually have to build this product to get the right amount of coverage so I'll usually mix it with the B Radiating Illuminating foundation which I'll go on to talk about in a minute. As well as the B Radiating Illuminating foundation, I also use the B Flawless Complete Coverage foundation which is amazing and you don't have to use a lot of another product to achieve the perfect finish!

The second product is the B Radiating Illuminating foundation. This along with the B Flawless Complete Coverage foundation (which I've nearly finished!) are such amazing products! As well as being animal cruelty free which is rare to find in drugstore products, the colours they do this product in are lovely and they actually live up to what they say they do on the bottle! If you're using the Radiant Illuminating one, definitely mix this with the Bourjois foundation for an extra bit of coverage but if you're using the Flawless Complete Coverage, you wont need to add a lot of another foundation, maybe just a hint of Bourjois or even a hint of the B Radiant Illuminating foundation for that extra bit of natural looking glow!

The third product is by Sonia Kashuk and is called Perfecting Luminous foundation and I purchase this when I go to America. I'm unsure whether they stock this brand here in the UK but if you can get your hands on it, I definitely recommend you do! This is purely an illuminating foundation and works as a top coat if you like. Unless you're happy with your skin and you only want a tiny bit of coverage and more of a natural glow, then you can use this on its own but if you're used to a fuller coverage look, definitely add this on top of your main foundation and you're away to go!

So there you go, my top 3 mixable drugstore foundations! You can mix all three if you like, just make sure you don't apply too much of each product!

I hope you like the idea of this mini makeup series! Like I said earlier in the post, I'll be posting different products each week for face, lips and eyes so please keep checking!

Don't forget to follow me on Twitter: @ChloesConcept and my Bloglovin (button on the sidebar!) to keep up with my latest posts! I'd also love if you would check out this post which talks about my online campaign/platform I run on my blog for bullying, self-esteem, anxiety & more! I'd love for anyone to be involved so please don't hesitate to contact me if you're interested or would like more information!

Monday, 28 July 2014

So you've just left sixth form/college and you're awaiting your A Level results which will determine what uni you get into! I've done a bit of research (as the dates change each year) and this year, as you'll likely know, the results day for the UK is the 14th August and the 5th of August if you live in Scotland.

It's a scary time, I was in your position this time 2 years ago and it only feels like yesterday! I stayed on an extra year in sixth form because I kept changing my mind on the course I wanted to do, even though I knew it was going to be media related! At the time, I wasn't happy that I was staying on an extra year when some of my friends were off to uni but I was so glad I did because I had time to thoroughly think about what I wanted to do rather than what I thought I should do!

After the long process of writing your personal statement, (which I'll be writing a post about in the next few days for those who are about to apply for next year!) getting your references and finally applying for the courses of your choice, you've got the long, terrifying wait which you're convinced your future depends on... I thought that too.

I worked so, so hard my final year of sixth form, resitting exams I had already done okay on just to get better marks to improve my chances, putting in what felt like millions of hours on coursework and assignments and taking an extra course to bump my qualifications up! I literally felt like whatever happened, I did my best and I could do no more... but that doesn't stop you from worrying.

Throughout school, I never got the best grades even though I worked super hard for everything...the results just never came. They were okay, just not what I wanted for working so hard!

Believe me, if you're bordering on getting the grade you need, don't worry. Universities take into consideration how stressful exams and coursework can be and how much stress each person is under. I was so worried that I wouldn't get the grades I needed but thankfully I did, all bar one grade which I missed by a fraction, but they make allowances. I can't stress this enough: if your personal statements and references are good enough and you miss the required grade by a bit, there's a really high chance you'll still get in! Take my word for it. I remember people used to tell me this when I was waiting to find out and I kept saying "but they said I NEED to get these grades or else I won't be accepted!"

Try not to panic as much as you are... I know it's easy for me to say, but I was in your position this time two years ago and I can even remember how I felt and what was going through my mind when I was finding out my results...

Try to enjoy your last bit of freedom because as soon as your off to uni, the hard work begins but if you've chosen a course you genuinely think you'll love like I do, I'm sure you'll actually enjoy doing the work for it! I know it sounds crazy to actually enjoy doing essays and assignments but trust me!

I hope this relaxes your mind a little bit! Good luck for your results and I'd love to know how you get on!

Remember, the most important thing is your health and strength and anything after that is a bonus :)

Sunday, 27 July 2014

I was 11
years old, a year 7 student, a child, when I moved schools. It wasn’t
a drastic change, but instead of keeping me on at the middle school I
was at, my parents decided it would be best for me to go to the high
school in the neighbouring town. This was fine and I was fairly happy
with the whole idea. I knew I’d miss seeing the friends I’d spent
every day with since nursery school, but I was also exited to go to
high school and I knew I’d see them often.

Now, all 3
of my siblings had attended my new high school and with a 5 year age
gap between me and my second eldest sister, she was still a student
there. She showed me around and I soon settled in, I made a lot of
friends and had a fantastic time. I’m a quiet sort of person but I
made friends quickly, they appeared to like my sense of humour and
free spirited nature.

Or,
so I thought.

Year 8 came
about and everything was as usual. Until about a month in, we had a
few new arrivals, one being a really sweet girl who joined my form
group. Now, my closest group of friends decided they weren’t going
to be so welcoming to the new girl but alas, I continued to have
lunch with her and console her that ‘they’d ease off’ and that
‘I’d talk to them.’ My closest school friend at the time joined
me in doing so, until one lunch time.

I was
traitor. I was ugly. I was *insert*

More
importantly, I was the new target.

One friend
of mine had only recently really joined our friendship group and
while the others would only shoot whispers of these cruel names
behind my back, this girl would go to the extreme to make sure I knew
exactly what she thought of me.

I’d
hide in the library, reading book after book but somehow, she always
found me.

I’d
stay by my sisters’ side all lunch time, but eventually, the bell
would ring again.

I’d
go to gym, and always be paired with her.

She
and her friends would taunt me and then pretend to be being friendly
whenever someone saw, even after my old friends had backed off.

And my
family tried everything, bless them. I just wasn't myself anymore. I
was emotionally and physically exhausted.

But then
came one day in gym. My teacher knew what was going on, yet still she
paired me with her.

And as soon
as my eyes stole a glance at the clock, a basket ball slammed
straight into my stomach.

I guess
that’s when I realised I’d had enough: I could take no more.

The Easter
Holiday came and I begged my mum to send me back to middle school.

Wow
do I remember that first day back, I could have cried my eyes out
with happiness, when I saw all my old friends…and new, waiting
outside the schools office door for me, when they showed me to my
new-old locker and took me to my first dreaded maths lesson… that
was the day I realised, I was worth something more than what I had
been made to feel. I'm so so grateful to my friends and family.

It has
taken a lot of time and even now, those bad memories come back to me
on bad days and there are times where my anxiety does get the better
of me, but then I remind myself that the world is beautiful and
I’m not ugly either or disgusting and I sure as anything will not
be made a quitter.

There's
this story that Buddah was said to tell in which he was happily
walking into the city centre one day, and as he approached the
entrance, an old man on a box, upon seeing him stood up and started
to yell at him, cursing him and calling him pretentious and
worthless.

Buddah
simply smiled despite the abuse and carried on to the market.

Every day
of that week, this same thing would happen.

One day,
curiosity took hold of the old man and he said to Buddah ''Every day
you come here and every day I curse you but you still enter the city
smiling despite knowing that I await you with my harsh tongue, and
every day you leave with the same smile you arrived with. Why do you
keep smiling, even now, while I scream at you?''

Buddah,
smiling still, answered the old man ''If I were to bring you a gift
tomorrow morning all wrapped up beautifully with a box and a bow,
would you accept it?''

The old man
scoffed and said ''absolutely not, I would take nothing from the
likes of you.''

Buddah
replied ''well, if I were to offer you such a gift and you refused
it, to whom would the gift belong to?''

The Old man
answered ''You, of course.''

And so
Buddah said ''And the same goes with your anger. When I
choose not to accept your gift of anger, does it not then remain your
own?''

And the
same applies to me now, their words could still haunt me and
honestly, sometimes they do: but I know I’m not worthless and I
know I’m not hideous and I know I do not have to accept their words
as truth.

Believe me,
I’m not for one single second saying ‘’ignore it and it’ll go
away’’ or ‘’sticks and stones’’ because I have been there
and like everyone else, I know full well words can dig and slash as
good as any stick or stone. Instead, what I am saying is if you can’t
see anything beautiful about yourself, because of what someone has
told you or because of something you have told yourself:

‘You
get a better mirror, look a little closer and stare a little longer.
Because there’s something inside you that made you keep going
despite everyone who told you to quit’.

Talk
to someone today. Don’t give in to bullies and don’t give up on
yourself.

Thanks to
the wonderful Chloe for this opportunity to talk to you today and to
you, for reading.

I hope you
have a really wonderful day and if you ever fancy a chat over a
virtual cup of tea, you can always find me here:

Friday, 25 July 2014

I absolutely love Collection. I have so many of their products and I think the quality is top notch. The price is extremely affordable and the pigments and coverage never fails to impress.

Collection's Lasting Perfection concealer is something I've repurchased I don't know how many times and I've included it quite a few times in past posts! I use it in my contour and highlighting process rather than to cover imperfections but if I do have any spots or anything like that, I can always use it for multiple purposes! The shade I buy is "Fair 1" and even though this is extremely light (it is also the lightest shade they sell) it is perfect for the highlighting part of the process. Also, to get the best finish with this concealer use a damp beauty blender - I use a dupe version which works just as well as the real deal! This concealer is roughly £4.20 give or take a few pence and you can get it wherever sells Collection (Boots, Superdrug, Wilkos...)

Now onto Collection's Lasting Perfection foundation. This has amazing coverage and you only need a couple of pumps to cover your entire face! It's extremely pigmented and while I can't quite say that it lasts the whole say, it does last a good long time! This isn't the foundation for you if you're looking for a light coverage but if you're looking for something medium to full, definitely give it a go! I think I purchased this for about £5.99 so definitely affordable!!

I was eager to try Collection's Lip Butter Pencils and it did not disappoint! The colour I bought was Popping Pink and it cost £2.99! I found this crazy as its so pigmented, lasts a great length of time and also sort of moisturises your lips at the same time! They have 3 other colours also but pink is my favourite lip colour so I immediately picked Popping Pink! I can't really say anything more about this product because I think I've said everything there is to say about it, but well worth the money!

I hope this little product review was helpful and you go and try some of these bargains! I absolutely love Collection's products due to their quality, affordability and lasting power! Let me know what you think if you've tried any of these products!

Monday, 21 July 2014

1. Hi Katie! Can you tell me a bit about yourself?

My
name is Katie, I am 15 years old and I am Welsh. I am quite
un-extraordinary, I am basically your typical introvert teenager.

2.
What do you blog about?

I
blog about anything and everything, from serious issues like the
ones I'm talking about now, to beauty and fashion.

3.
What inspires you in life?

My
friends inspire me in life. I honestly don't know where I'd be
without them.

4.
What keeps you motivated?

Seeing
my friends get upset when ever I get really down. I hate seeing them
sad so I try to stay positive.

5.
What is your proudest achievement in life or in the blogging
world?

Recently
I reached 3000+ views, and in the grand scheme of things it's tiny,
but for a small blog like mine it means a lot.

6.
That is something to be proud of! As a blogger, you have to have
some confidence in what you are writing but in the “real world”
it can be much more difficult! Can you tell me what your experience
is with self-esteem?

Self-esteem
has effected me in many ways, so bad as come last summer I wouldn't
go outside. It made me feel so depressed that I didn't want to leave
the house, go out with friends, and even family. In short terms - it
sucked.

7.
How has it changed your life?

It's
made me realise that not everyone will love you for who you, and
that's okay. I would much rather someone dislike me than back-stab
me and make me feel insecure.

8.
How are you coping with it?

It's
not bad at the moment. It's worse in the summer because I don't like
thinking people are making fun of me in my shorts. I have short legs
so I feel awkward in shorts.

9.
I think everyone has at least one insecurity about themselves but
you've just got to think that you're not alone, everyone's feeling
insecure about something! Do you feel like the media are doing
enough to help people who suffer from low self-esteem?

Nope,
in fact I think the media are making people with self-esteem issues
worse. The photo shopping and society's image of perfect ruins a
person's chance of them ever being happy with themselves- I know
from personal experiences.

10.
What are your top tips for anyone living with low self-esteem?

No-one
cares what you look like, they are just trying to get from A to B as
much as you are. If you feel good in shorts but think you'll be
judged, who cares, you'll most probably not see those people again.
You do you.

Thank you, Katie! I hope everyone finds your answers as interesting as I did and I'm sure each reader will be able to relate to your answers!

If you'd like to check out any of Katie's links, you can find them below:

Monday, 14 July 2014

End of term...

For schools across the UK, the summer
holidays is fast approaching or may have already started for some!

This may be a blessing to those who
hate school so desperately due to being a victim of bullying, feeling
left out or maybe have no friends.

Today's post is all about using your
summer holiday wisely so that when September rolls around again,
you're not dreading starting back! I know you're probably thinking “I
am dreading September” but that's okay. Hopefully by the end of
this post, your feelings will have changed!

First of all you need to know why you
hate school so much;

Are you being bullied?

Do you have any friends?

Are you being left out?

Are you struggling with school
work?

Maybe there's a different reason, but
as long as you know it, you can change your feelings towards it.

When I first started secondary school,
I absolutely hated it but after about a year and a half/two years, my
opinion changed. I did struggle with school work at first, I did
struggle with friends and I would struggle to find anyone who didn't
struggle with these things. You're not alone!

Are you being bullied?

First of all, if you're a
victim of bullying please visit
herewhere you'll find information on the campaign/platform I run dedicated to bullying, self-esteem,
anxiety and body confidence.

I
understand what you're going through and I know you are probably
thinking “everyone says that!” but I genuinely do. I am only 21
so I'm not a teacher or politician who is trying to cut down on
bullying. You know as well as I do how mean people can be and
unfortunately it's extremely difficult to stamp out bullying
altogether.

The only thing WE can change is how we let it affect us
and how we deal with it. The problem here is with the bully, not you.
The bully doesn't have anything personally against you, their just so
bored with their own lives and like to feel powerful for the 5
minutes their bullying you. Trust me, in a little while (and I mean a little while, it will stop soon) the bully will get fed up of you and
move onto someone else. I'll tell you when the bully likes to keep
bullying you...when you LET the bully have an impact on your life.
There's never a correct way to deal with bullying as each bully is
different, so I will not tell you to confront the bully and I will
not tell you to hide away either but what I will tell you is to tell
someone. Even if it's me. If you've read the link I put above here,
you'll understand that the whole reason I started this
campaign/platform was to provide a different sort of support that I
haven't seen anywhere else. I'm not a parent or a teacher or anyone
in authority so to you, I am a friend.

On this blog, I will be
writing lots of helpful posts (there's quite a few up already) on how
to deal with bullying and I've posted a lot of interviews with
bloggers who are people JUST like you, same age, same experiences,
everything! They've spoken about their experiences and how they dealt
with it, so I hope that's helpful to you! Please check the link above
and I hope you feel better knowing you have support and a friendly
face to talk to if you want to tell me about your problems,
experiences, want advice or just want to rant! A problem shared is a
problem halved!

Feeling left out?

Okay,
moving on. Now we have “feeling left out”. So, you have a couple
of friends or even a large group of friends and it feels as lonely as
it would if you had none? Don't worry, we've all been there! I can't
give you some trick that will instantly make you feel included but be
assured that it's not your problem. You're not doing anything wrong.
So what if they're all going over each other's house that day and
didn't invite you? The likelihood in this situation is that you
probably don't have a lot in common with these people anyway so why
would you want to spend time with them outside of school? The best
thing you can do is just count yourself lucky that you don't have to
hang around with people who don't give much thought for your
feelings. Yes, stay friends with them if you feel like it's better
than not being friends with them, but just be wise and be cautious!

A
little tip I do have for you though is:

Find
something you love to do, whether it be swimming or reading or for me
it's blogging and I also love trying new makeup, hairstyles, clothes
etc. As long as you love doing whatever it is you've chosen, stick to
it and be really, really good at it or at least be the best you can
be. While everyone else is off over someone else's house or whatever,
you're bettering yourself and that's something they can't take away
from you. Who knows, maybe your hobby may turn into your career when
you finally leave school and you'll be glad you weren't upset over
feeling left out!

Again,
if you want to talk about anything, the link above gives you all the
details and I'll also be adding all of my contact links at the bottom
of this post!

Dreaded school work...

You think of school as a prison where
teachers are making you learn about things you know you'll never need
in later life, and probably some of what you learn you won't! But
that's the beauty of it, it's better to have general knowledge of all
little things, than loads of knowledge on one main thing. You might
know for certain what you want to do when you leave school (I know
you're probably not thinking along those lines right now) and that's
fine but if you're anything like me who changed their idea of a
career about 100 times, it's best to keep your options open! If
you're struggling with whatever you're learning about, ASK for help
when you go back in September. Make it your new challenge to
understand something you can't get to grips with. For me, I never
could quite understand Simultaneous Equations in Maths. I went through
months of getting answers wrong and tests wrong and I finally decided
enough was enough and I finally asked for help. I had to stay in one
lunch time for my teacher to explain it to me, but it was something I
was glad to give up to have that feeling of accomplishment when I
went home that day. Make a list of all the little things you've
struggled with in your school work this year and imagine that feeling
of accomplishment when you tick them off after you've learnt and
understood them!

I hope this blog post helps you and remember, I am here to help! Please feel free to contact me on the links I will post below about anything you want to talk about, even if it's just for a chat!

Saturday, 12 July 2014

Hello!I've bought two new mascaras recently; one waterproof and one non-waterproof. I hate waterproof mascara and I only bought it under the impression it was non-waterproof (obviously didn't read the label!) so when I went to wash my mascara off that night, I was wondering why I struggled to get it off! However, this Spring/Summer I've suffered badly with hay fever and pet allergies which causes my eyes to water non-stop, so I guess in a round-about way, it worked out!

So I'll start on the waterproof mascara:

This is Collection's Volumising Mascara you can find here for £3.99. I can 100% say that it is waterproof, and you'll need a good eye makeup remover to get this off as soap and water just doesn't do it!I love the brush as its really long and thick which is obviously great as this helps with the volumising of your lashes!

So already its promise to be volumising is living up-to its claim! It lasts all day long and all in all I highly recommend this product if you're looking for a budget, waterproof, volumising mascara!

Non-waterproof Mascara:

I love L'Oreal mascaras. I think they're great quality, lovely packaging and lasts a great length of time (during the day and also over the months!). I've tried lots of their mascaras and have been extremely happy with each one! The one I decided to purchase this time, however, is the new L'Oreal Paris Million Lashes So Couture mascara you can see here, which I bought for £7.99 as there is currently an offer on, however its regular price is £10.99!

I usually (like I said before) prefer a thicker, long brush but this one has the little fish teeth kind of brush (not sure if that's the correct name but that's what I call it!) and was a little bit hesitant as to whether I'd like it but when I did try it, I was extremely impressed!

As the brush it smaller, it allows you to apply it more precise and coat each eyelash well and thoroughly! The part of the bottle that usually takes off the excess mascara from the brush (I hope that made sense?) doesn't take much of the excess off the brush in this mascara, which I find nice in a way as there is more mascara on the brush so you don't have to keep going back for more, so that saves time too!

All in all, my favourite mascara here is the L'Oreal So Couture Mascara as I just love L'Oreal mascaras but if waterproof is your thing, then I definitely recommend Collection's Volumising Mascara!I hope this little product review helps! Let me know of any mascaras you love and would repurchase over and over again!Thanks for reading!Chloe x

Wednesday, 9 July 2014

Hi Kriss! Can you tell
me a bit about yourself?

My
name is Kriss, or Christine! I'm an Irish makeup artist, beauty
vlogger and beauty blogger!

Awesome! What
do you blog about?

I
blog about all things makeup! I started my blog to go along with my
makeup YouTube channel. So I'm still getting the hang of blogging but
I'm loving the journey! I'm also going to be incorporating more
'other beauty' stuff (like fashion, nails, hair, skincare etc) than I
would on YouTube. It's exciting times!

That's great, I guess to keep up with blogging, vlogging and even your job, you'll need to be constantly inspired! What
inspires you in life?

So
much! In everyday life, I'm inspired by creativity (like art, makeup
and style), individuality (like someone rocking an outfit I wouldn't
have the confidence to wear), organisation (I love organisation blogs
and Pinterest posts), and hard work (e.g. seeing someone's dedication
and success). On a bigger scale, I'm inspired and moved by positivity
(optimistic or helpful people), confidence (staying true to yourself
or standing up for yourself), nature (a breathtaking scenery always
makes me feel calm), music (e.g. beautiful lyrics or a powerful beat)
and love (the most beautiful thing in the world!).

What
keeps you motivated?

I
am motivated in my makeup artistry and online work by 1) my passion
for makeup and 2) other artists/vloggers/bloggers. I am motivated in
life by 'doing me' - by this I mean doing what makes me happy, doing
what makes me proud of myself and doing what is good for me. On a
real note, not that money is everything, but if I'm going to be
honest, it is a big motivation. Now that I am at a stage of my life
where I have to make sure I can pay my bills and make rent, it does
give me a kick to get up off my ass and earn it! And, not gonna lie I
get motivation from little quotes or sayings I see on Instagram or
Pinterest! I use greatday.com as
my internet homepage to give me a positive message each day when I
open up my browser :-)

That's awesome, I love quotes and I'm Pinterest obsessed! What
is your proudest achievement either in life or the blogging world?

I'm
proud of myself for finally doing YouTube and blogging, as I have
wanted to for years and years! I'm also super proud that I went and
got my makeup qualifications for myself and started my own
freelancing business.

That's an incredible achievement! Now I understand you suffer from anxiety, which must be difficult to control with everything you've got going on! Can you tell me what your experience is with anxiety?

Well
my 'main' experience is my social anxiety. I have always been shy and
an introvert, but at times it is extremely difficult for me to put
myself into certain situations and to interact with others. I also
get anxious about things like elevators and alarms but not to the
same degree.

How
has it changed your life?

Massively.
Simply speaking can be a huge deal for me. Whether I find myself
having to make small talk, or having a question to ask, or wanting to
join in on a conversation, I tend to overthink, to the point that my
heart is pounding and I just can't go through with it. It is also
extremely difficult for me to put myself into situations where I have
to do these things or where I won't know anyone. Having this anxiety
throughout everyday life is difficult, especially when others don't
understand what's going on inside for you. It is also extremely
frustrating to have the desire to do something, yet you are holding
yourself back.

How
are you coping with it?

Because
I know that it stems from irrational thoughts I try to challenge it
at times. Making little steps here, and big leaps there show me that
I can actually do these things. In fact, I will be attending a
bloggers meetup very soon and I'm sooo nervous about it! When I first
heard about it I was really excited because I don't know anyone else
personally in the blogging world, and it would be so amazing to meet
people who are! Now as it is nearing, I did have the thought of
pulling out, but I know I would regret it. I just have to hold on to
that excitement and remind myself that I will enjoy it and I will be
proud of myself for going.

Do
you feel like the media are doing enough to help people who suffer
from anxiety?

No
I don't actually, and I hadn't really thought about that until now. I
have to say Chloe, I really admire and appreciate what you are doing
here! Anxiety is a very common issue. We all experience some level of
it, yet most people don't want to admit to it. Before now, the only
people I had really heard speaking about it on a public platform have
been YouTubers that I watch. Zoe of Zoella, Sam of Pixiwoo and Sinead
of TheMakeupChair (among others) have all made videos on the subject.

Thank you, Kriss, I really appreciate that! What
are your top tips for anyone living with anxiety?

The
quote/idea that helps me challenge mey anxiety is "Make the leap
and build your wings as you fall." In other words, do it now and
think later! Without thinking, ask that question, sign up for that
class, go to that party! The
first time I found myself using this idea was when I signed up for a
group. I knew this group would be beneficial for my future career but
I would be signing up alone. I was going through a really rough time
in my life, and I came to the point where I just held my hands up and
said "Ok life, let's do this - whats the worst that can happen!"
It was so unlike me and I was so proud of myself for finally taking a
stand against my own anxiety. I signed up and reminded myself that no
matter what happened next, I would survive. I was still nervous and
self conscious, but as I got through it, I relaxed and found that it
was easier than I thought, and well worth it.

Now
in everyday life I try to go for little things without thinking. I
had to work myself up recently to walk into a room to ask someone
something. I was getting very stressed out, and had to calm myself
and remind myself that there was nothing to be afraid of. I
eventually stood outside the door and said to myself "1,2,3!"
and gave all the power of the decision to my body - my arm reached up
and my hand opened the door, without giving my brain a chance to butt
in and ruin it with overthinking! Before I knew it, it was all over
and I could see how silly I was being before. I use this "1,2,3!"
in my head all the time and let me mouth speak whatever I want to
say, or my feet take me wherever I want to go without letting that
silly voice in my head take over. Sometimes
this in itself is a little difficult so I just take things one step
at a time. That might be just focussing on walking myself to the
door, then just on opening the door, then on walking inside etc etc.

Besides
these practical tips, having someone you can talk about it to
definitely helps. Sometimes just being able to say things out loud is
a huge relief.

I
think that it is also important to remember that you are not strange
for feeling the way you do. You are not alone, you are not awkward,
you are not weird. You are human...and as a human you have the power
to persevere through this anxiety you feel, and to conquer it. So
accept that this is ok, but do not accept this as what you are stuck
with.

Thank you so much, Kriss for your inspiring and honest answers! I really enjoyed interviewing you and I'm sure every reader will appreciate your words of wisdom and experiences you've been through and realise anxiety isn't just a "one off" but a constant battle, but together I'm sure we'll all be able to change and improve the way we deal with anxiety in the future!

If you'd like to visit any of Kriss' social media platforms, her links are below:

As always, if you ever wish to get in touch for any reason at all, whether it's just for a chat, you need advice or you want to share your best tips to cope with anxiety, you can get in touch with me here:

Saturday, 5 July 2014

I hope you're all having a lovely weekend and the weather is as it should be for this time of year (...in the UK anyway!)

Today's post is all about self-esteem and ways you can boost yours and learn to love the things you dislike about yourself!

You probably dislike at least one thing about yourself, whether its your looks; maybe your eye shape, nose, tummy...you get the picture, or maybe it's personality wise; maybe you're stubborn or short tempered. We all have something we're not satisfied with and I'm here to tell you that that is okay.

Imagine seeing yourself as pretty much perfect, you wouldn't change anything about yourself; looks or personality wise. I don't know why, but to me I'd still be unsatisfied as I'd always be looking for something to dislike or want to change!

I want you to think of those things you don't like about yourself and turn them into a positive...here's my examples:

Personality:

Let's say you have OCD like I have. I moan about it as it always makes me late when I have to check everything at least 4-16 times (I know, weird but those are my favourite numbers and it's got worse through the years!) but at least once it's done, you don't leave the house thinking "Did I switch my hair dryer off?" or "Did I lock my front door?" Always try to turn whatever you don't like about yourself, into a positive!

Appearance:

Okay so let's say you have small eyes and you hate them because you think they look disproportional to the size of your face. Look through some photos of maybe celebrities and look at their eyes and I bet until you look closely you wouldn't have realised they had small eyes until you purposely went looking for them. That's the same for you, people probably don't even realise the size of your eyes as they don't specifically just focus on them and so what? You may not like them, but someone else may think they make you look unique and suit you!

Here's something you can do everyday to start loving the things you once disliked about yourself:

Look in the mirror at the thing/s you dislike about yourself. Are you going to let these little things define who you are? Are you any less of a person just because you dislike your small eyes or your thin lips?

Think about this and feel lucky to look the way you do and feel lucky that you are in better health than some people, don't take things for granted!

Look hard at what you don't like and think "is it really that bad?"

Remind yourself that no one else looks exactly like you, so you are unique!

Think about when you walk past someone and think "they have lovely hair" but to that person, they might be feeling very self-conscious about their hair.

Pick one thing you like about yourself everyday, whether it be your appearance or it could even be something in your personality or maybe an act of kindness you did that day...Keep the positive vibe going!

I hope this little post helps you to build your confidence back up and feel amazing about yourself because you deserve to feel great!

If you would like to share your tips to feeling confident, let me know in the comments!

Friday, 4 July 2014

Hi
Louise! Thank you for taking part my project by letting me interview
you! Tell me a bit about yourself?

I'm
a total bunting addict who loves 90's pop punk and graphic novels. If
you ever needed to find me, I'd be in a cinema, sorting through
vintage stores, listening to my record collection or playing a game
or two on the Playstation. I'd like to say I'm extroverted but I'm
not - I love my small group of friends and I find I'm happier this
way. What else... oh yeah, I blog.

What
do you blog about?

I
blog about adventures I go on with my friends and fiance, Green
Ranger, recipes I try and absolutely love, wish-lists for clothes,
beauty and stationery among other things, random opinion/inspiration
pieces that have helped me through and blogs about topics I find
generally quite interesting and hope my lovely readers will too!

What
inspires you in life?

In
all honesty, other people. With the influx of social media in
everyone's lives, it's now so much easier to see the 'good' and the
inspiring stuff that people are doing all over the world. It shows
that the world doesn't have to be this dark, depressing place that
the news always paints it as. I think, for me, Tumblr and Instagram
showcase this really well with the communities on there - full-blown
creative minded people with stories to tell. What's not to be
inspired by. I guess other things that inspire me would be magazines
like Company and Glamour, other wonderful bloggers like Becky Bedbug
and paperbagblog, specific indie films like '500 Days of Summer' or
'The Secret Life of Walter Mitty' and music, my favourites are Foos,
Coldplay, Beatles and probably, Kings of Leon at the moment.

Social
media definitely provides great opportunities to be influential and
promote a positive community! What keeps you motivated?

When
dealing with OCD, you tend to be fairly motivated, so I've not really
struggled in this department, apart from when I was suffering with
depression. It was a toughie as OCD meant I HAD to do all these
things at the right time and all the time or I'd get major panic
attacks but the other half of me just could not be bothered, I
couldn't get out of bed, let alone do anything else! Luckily, I had
special friends who saw me through and dragged me out when I needed
it, talking about past issues with my psychologist definitely helped.
Having someone who could say to me that what I was thinking, whether
that be 'I'm fat - so why should anyone love me?' to 'What's the
point?' was okay and talk it over rationally with me really helped.

I
can definitely relate with OCD! It's a real time consumer as well!
What is your proudest achievement either in life or the blogging
world?

In
the blogging world, it would have to be going to the #LDNBloggersTea
in Kensington about a month ago. It was SO nerve-wracking, having to
talk to brand new people, going alone and having to make conversation
was so anxiety-inducing I nearly didn't make it. It took the kind
words of my fiance to calm me down, tell me that I looked fine and
talk me into going. I still wandered around Kensington Gardens to
calm myself down before venturing anywhere near the venue!
Non-blogging world, it'd have to be overcoming anorexia, I say
overcoming but I still have the thoughts that accompany the disorder.
I'm glad to say that I now eat three meals a day and it is under
control from a physical sense. This took literally everything I had
and I wouldn't be here without my family and close friends who
supported me.

What
is your experience with bullying, body confidence, self-esteem,
depression and anxiety?

When
I was at school, I was always bullied for being a bit of a porker. I
was admittedly obese as a child but I didn't deserve the daily
ridiculing from the other children. Nonetheless, I compartmentalised
it and got on with my day-to-day, I became very good at putting on a
front - 'the fat, bubbly girl'. But inside I was hurting and my
self-esteem was practically non-existent.

I
can't remember what it was exactly that changed, it may have been the
death of my nan (she was the closest thing to me in my world) but I
just gradually ate less and less to the point where I was banned from
the gym and PE as they saw I had 'issues', and I was counting a grain
of rice as dinner - nothing else, not even water for fear of calorie
intake.

I
eventually got hospitalised and decided I'd rather die before eat
anything. I had lost all self-worth all without anyone really
recognising bar the odd guy on the playground who'd then ridicule me
for having an eating disorder. Being thin meant that people talked to
me like an 'average' human girl in most instances, who could be
attractive and interesting, without being thin I was nothing. It's
fair to say that it gave me a degree of control over my own life when
a lot was changing, it masked just how depressed and anxious I was
about my life and my future.

How
has it changed your life?

Suffering
with the above changed my life immensely, I went from being an
outwardly 'happy' child who didn't think on anything bar the next S
Club 7 song to being the most cynical and downright depressing person
you'd ever meet who could burst into tears at any opportunity. I'm
glad to say that I have stabilised now, in my younger adult years,
but I still walk down the street and wonder who and why is staring, I
still 'hate' the way I look and question why it is that people would
even want to talk to me. These are just a few things that are coped
with on a day-to-day business. And that is exactly what it is, a
day-to-day business. You can't plan for being sad one day and happy
the next - it doesn't work like that.

How
are you coping with it?

Distraction.
Seeing a psychologist is out of the question, I have a full-time job
to maintain and appointments don't exactly cater for this. So I use
good, old distraction techniques. I tried the self-soothing exercises
but these never helped me, that negative voice in my head always
overcame it but listening to music, watching a film or playing a game
I like takes me away into a world where I'm not always anxious and
I'm not always putting myself down. It gives me a break from the
monotony of negativity.

Do
you feel like the media are doing enough to help people who suffer
from bullying, body confidence, self-esteem, depression and anxiety?

I
think compared to when I was a kid/teen, there has been a lot of
awareness campaigns about the above, acknowledging that it is a
problem BUT there simply isn't the actual support. Funding has been
cut in all the wrong places and people like me are being affected
everywhere I turn. The problem is that these problems are inherent
within out society and until that changes then these issues will
always be just that, issues. The media need to change the perception
of these illnesses and I think they're only a small percentage of the
way there. That is not to say that it won't improve.

What
are your top tips for anyone living with bullying, body confidence,
self-esteem, depression and anxiety?

As
difficult as it may be, you need to be true to yourself and who you
are and keep your head held high no matter what because there is
always light at the end of that dark tunnel. Sod what anyone else has
to say and ignore it, they're just insecure about themselves and
projecting this onto you as a means of coping - you don't have to
listen nor take it. Surround yourself with supportive people and
things you love too, these will inevitably guide you through on the
crappiest of days - they are your rocks.

Thank
you so much, Louise! I found your answers so interesting and honest,
which I'm sure people will appreciate and find inspiring! If you'd
like to visit any of Lousie's links, here they are: